:55:17
By mid-October, the "Howard Beale Show"
had settled in at a 42 share...
:55:21
more than equaling all the other
network news shows combined.
:55:25
In the Nielsen ratings,
the "Howard Beale Show"...
:55:27
was the fourth-highest-rated show
of the month...
:55:30
surpassed only by "The Six Million
Dollar Man," "All in the Family"...
:55:33
and "Phyllis"...
:55:34
a phenomenal state of affairs
for a news show.
:55:37
On October 15, Diana Christensen
flew to Los Angeles...
:55:40
for what the trade calls
powwows and confabs...
:55:43
with her West Coast
programming execs...
:55:45
and to get production rolling
on the shows for the coming season.
:55:48
Christ! You brought half the William
Morris West Coast Office along with you.
:55:53
I'm Diana Christensen, a racist lackey
of the imperialist ruling circles.
:55:58
I'm Laureen Hobbs,
a bad-ass commie nigger.
:56:00
Sounds like the basis
of a firm friendship.
:56:03
- We'll need more chairs.
- Anybody want coffee?
:56:05
I'd love some.
:56:13
This is my lawyer, Sam Haywood,
and his associate, Merrill Grant.
:56:19
Miss Christensen, just what the hell's
this all about?
:56:23
Because, when a national
television network...
:56:26
in the person of booby here
comes to me and says...
:56:31
they want to put the ongoing struggle
of the oppressed masses...
:56:34
on prime-time television...
:56:36
I have to regard this askance!
:56:38
Mr. Haywood was saying
that our client, Miss Hobbs...
:56:42
wants it up front that
the political content of the show...
:56:46
has to be in her control.
:56:49
She can have it. I don't give a damn
about the political content.
:56:53
What kind of show?
:56:55
I'm interested in doing
a weekly dramatic series...
:56:58
based on the
Ecumenical Liberation Army...